Hal Leonard Launches New Riff Notes Series

Hal Leonard has published Riff Notes, a series of quick, easy, and informative single-topic guides for novice and experienced players alike. These guides explain in less than 30 pages, all the basics needed to make an informed decision on which guitar and which strings are right for you.

The authors have both worked on the floor of Guitar Center, helping customers make purchasing decisions every day. Along the way, they discovered that many people had the same questions. The Riff Notes series provides practical answers to these common questions.

Many books cover guitars and playing techniques in depth, but the majority of them assume an intermediate level of guitar knowledge, or cover such a wide range of topics that it may seem overwhelming and too time-consuming to read. The single-topic Riff Notes cover this gap and provide quick answers to the most common guitar questions.

Designed to easily fit in guitar cases or gig bags, the booklets introduce the guitar with simplified terminology and explanations, practical applications and tips. Written in an accessible and engaging tone, the following three titles are available now:

Electric Guitar Basics and Acoustic Guitar Basics cover the differences between the many types of electric guitars, as well as the crucial differences between necks, tuning keys, fretboards, pickups, bridges, bodies, woods. Also included is shopping advice, fun facts, and trivia to engage readers of any playing level.

Guitar String Basics explains everything there is to know about this extremely important part of the guitar, both for electric and acoustic guitars. The two main types of strings, steel and nylon, are fully explored. Any guitar comes with strings already on it, but knowing all about them – what kind is right for your guitar and how to maintain and replace them – is essential.

About the authors

Phil Dixon and Christopher Jones joined Guitar Center in 2006. Dixon bought his first guitar at age 15, and Jones picked it up at age 12. Dixon studied and tutored music theory in college and holds a B.A. in English Literature from Pacific Lutheran University. Their website is http://riffnotes.us/